Newark Woman Pleads Guilty to Armed Bank Robbery in Princeton

Ciara Brascom admitted to stealing over $60,000 from a Princeton bank while threatening employees with what appeared to be a handgun; sentencing set for October.

A Newark woman has pleaded guilty to a charge of bank robbery in connection with a July 2024 incident in Princeton, federal authorities announced.

Ciara Brascom, 38, appeared before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court, where she pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.

The robbery took place on July 28, 2024, when Brascom entered a bank located in Princeton. According to court records and statements made in court, she demanded cash from a bank teller while brandishing what appeared to be a black handgun. Brascom allegedly threatened to use the weapon if the bank’s alarm system was triggered. She then fled the scene with approximately $60,500 in cash.

The bank robbery charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Brascom is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, 2025.

The investigation was led by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the supervision of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark. The Princeton Police Department, led by Chief of Police Christopher Tash, and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey, also assisted in the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Shephard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton is prosecuting the case.